Blank-book



(No Model.)

N. M. BARNES. BLANK BOOK.

No. 600,253. Patented Mar. 8, 1898.

Ina/6722 0)" W Z W Unrrnn STATES PAT NT. OFFICE,

NATHAN M. BARNES, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

BLANK- BOOK.

SPEOIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,253, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed March 13, 1 8 9 '7.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN M. BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blank-Books; and I do declare the followingtobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of blankbooks which embody permanently-connected indexes, and will be fully understood from the following description and claim when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved book, the same being shown in its open position, as is also its index book or attachment. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the book closed.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A designates a blank-book having the usual covers B O and leaves D of a width approximately corresponding to that of the covers, and E designates the index book or attachment, which forms a permanent part of the blankbook. This index book or attachment comprises a suitable number of leaves 01 which are about one-third as wide as the blank-book leaves D, and a cover I), in which the leaves a are bound, the said cover I) being preferably formed of flexible leather, although it may be formed of any other suitable material and may be made stifi when desired. The cover I) is provided with a flexible portion a, which extends inwardly beyond what may be termed the back 02 of the indexbook. This portion or extension 0 is connected to the inner side of the cover B of book A, adjacent to the free edge thereof, by some suitable adhesive substance in such a manner as to afford a fold 6 between the blank-book cover B and the back cl of the index-book. The fold e in the flexible portion or extension 0 serves to enable the cover I) to rest parallel with the cover B when the book is closed, as shown in Fig. 3, without any tendency to open, and thereby cause a partial opening of the book A. Said fold 6 also serves to enable said coverb to rest in the flat position shown in Fig. 2, with the Serial No. 627,390- (No model.)

back cZ close to the edge of the cover 13, so as to enable the bookkeeper to readily match the lines on the uppermost index-book leaf to the left with those on the uppermost blankbook leaves D, and this irrespective of the number of leaves D which are under those leaves of the index-book which are turned to the right. It will also be observed that the cover I) and leaves a are hinned at the same point, and that therefore some of the indexbook leaves may rest to the right beneath the leaves D, while other leaves of the index-book rest to the left at the side of the trial-balance leaves D, thus enabling the bookkeeper to readily match the lines on the uppermost index-book leaf to the left with those of the uppermost leaf D.

My improvements are designed for embodiment in what are known as trial-balance books, such as are used by banks and firms who make a daily trial-balance, and the pages D and a are shown as provided with printing appropriate to such books-t-hat is to say, the right-hand pages or leaf sides f and left-hand pages or leaf sides 9 of the leaves D in book A are provided with alined individual-account columns running in the direction of the width of the pages, and are also provided with alternate debit and credit columns for each business day running in the direction of the length of the pages or at right angles to the individual-account columns. The individual-account columns are numbered in consecutive order from the upper to the lower ends of the pages, the columns of numerals being arranged adjacent to the lefthand edges of the pages f g and parallel to the debit and credit columns, as shown. Said debit and credit columns are so designated at their upper ends, and a space h is provided above each pair of debit and credit columns for the entry of the dates, as will be presently pointed out.

The index-book is provided on its right hand pages or leaf sides t' with individualaccount columns, which extend in the direction of the width of the pages and register with those of the pages f and g, and are numbered in consecutive order from the upper end to the lower end of the pages, the 001* umns of numerals being arranged adjacent to the right-hand edges of the pages, as shown,

ledger-folio columns running parallel to their so as to permit of any desired individual account being readily traced from the righthand pages of the index-book across the pages of the trial-balance book. The right-hand pages i of the index-book are further provided, adjacent to their left-hand edges, with columns of figures and at right angles to their individual-account columns, the said ledgerfolio columns being so designated at their upper ends by the initial letters L. F. The left-hand pages j of -the index-book are designed for use as memorandum-sheets,and, when desired, they may have their lines numbered to correspond with the lines on the right-hand pages 1', as shown in Fig. 1, so as to facilitate the entry of memorandums concerning certain accounts.

In using the improved book the names of the several accounts are listed one after another in the individual-account columns of the pages 1' of leaves a, and the ledger-folio numbers of each account are placed beside the same in the ledger-folio columns of said pages 1 The balances of each account are entered in the debit and credit columns of the pages f g and'in the individual-account column of said pages f g which corresponds with the column on the index-book pager which contains the name of the account. The date of each balance is written above the pairs of debit and credit columns and extend in series across the pages f g from left to right, and therefore it is simply necessary for the bookkeeper, when he desires to ascertain the balance of a certain party on a certain date, to notice the number of the individual-account column on page i on which said partys name is written and then refer to the individual-account column of the same number on pages f and g and the debit and credit columns bearing the date desired.

The page 1' of the index-book on which a list of accounts is entered and the pages f g of the trial-balance book on which the balances of said accounts are entered are correspondingly numbered. For instance, the

2, as would also the pages f g of the trialbalance book on which the balances of the accounts on page 2 of the index-book are entered. When the accounts are transferred one or more times during the life of the book, the first page of the first transfer in the index-book would be numbered 1 and the second page l and so on, as also the pages of the trial-balance book as they are used for the account thus transferred.

Bookkeepers in banks and similar places of business must necessarily make a trialbalance of all of their accounts each day. Ordinarily they have to transfer all of themcounts from page to page of the trial-balance book; but when my improvements are employed this is avoided, and bookkeepers are not required to transfer the accounts, no matter how numerous they are, unless they should occasionally prefer to do so in order to leave off some of the closed accounts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is The combination of the blank-book having the covers B and C and the leaves D connected with said covers, and the index-book E comprising the cover I), of less width than the covers 13 0, having the flexible portion 0 connected to the i-nnerside of the cover B of the blank-book adjacent to the free edge thereof and provided with the fold e, and the leaves a corresponding in width to and connected with the cover I), substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NATHAN M. BARNES.

Witnesses:

J. T. MCCUAIG, B. O. TORLLER. 

